What if millions of pregnant women were unknowingly given drugs that altered their children's brains—and their grandchildren's? Jill Escher's journey began with two profoundly autistic sons and led to a shocking discovery: her mother received weekly injections of powerful synthetic hormones during pregnancy. Now, as rates of both autism and gender dysphoria explode, Escher connects dots that the medical establishment refuses to see. From DES disasters to modern "anti-miscarriage" drugs given until 2023, this conversation exposes how yesterday's medical experiments may be driving today's neurodevelopmental crisis.
About Jill Escher
Jill Escher is an autism research philanthropist and founder of the Escher Fund for Autism, focusing on genetic toxicology research in autism and neurodevelopmental disorders. As president of the National Council on Severe Autism and former president of Autism Society San Francisco Bay Area (2013-2019), she advocates for families affected by severe autism. She serves on the governing council of the Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomics Society and co-chairs their Germ Cell and Heritable Effects special interest group. Most importantly, she is the mother of two children with nonverbal autism, ages 26 and 19. A former lawyer with a JD from UC Berkeley Law School and BA from Stanford, she lives with her family in San Jose, California.
The Discovery That Changed Everything
Escher's story reads like a medical detective thriller. A successful mother with no family history of autism, she watched helplessly as two of her children developed profound autism—nonverbal, unable to read or write, functioning below toddler level. Then came the "incredibly bizarre experience" that cracked the case open. Through miraculously preserved microfiche records from 1965, she discovered her mother had received weekly injections of synthetic hormones throughout pregnancy—corticosteroids, synthetic progesterone, and synthetic estrogens whose "job it is to change gene expression." This led to her hypothesis that these powerful drugs may have altered her eggs, affecting her children's neurodevelopment.
DES: The Forgotten Medical Catastrophe
While most remember thalidomide as medicine's greatest scandal, DES (diethylstilbestrol) affected far more people—millions of women over decades. This synthetic estrogen given to prevent miscarriage didn't just fail; it caused rare vaginal cancers in daughters, increased miscarriage rates, and is now affecting the third generation. "The makers of this drug really got off easy," Escher notes. "They've caused countless billions of dollars in damages." Perhaps most controversially, she suggests DES may have feminized male brains, describing meetings with men in their 60s who transitioned after "fighting this his whole life."
The Autism Explosion: Real Numbers
Escher demolishes the "better diagnosis" narrative with California's meticulous data. In the 1980s, the state's developmental services system served about 3,000 autistic individuals. By 1999, when numbers hit 16,000, the legislature "freaked out." Today? "We now have 202,000 cases of autism in our developmental services system." These aren't mild cases captured by expanded criteria—California's system only accepts those with substantial developmental disabilities. "People with high functioning autism are laughed at and shown the door." The UK just reported 3.3% of schoolchildren have autism, with Northern Ireland approaching 5%.
Makena: The Scandal Still Happening
In a revelation that should make headlines, Escher exposes that Makena—essentially the same synthetic progesterone she was exposed to—continued being injected into pregnant women until 2023. "Millions of fetuses exposed to this drug heavily during a period of very rapid brain development." The kicker? "This drug... has been given to male transgender [individuals]... to feminize the males. So it was part of hormonal therapy. This particular drug that we're giving to induce transgender is the same drug that we've been giving to pregnant women."
General Anesthesia and Future Generations
Escher's current research focus seems almost science fiction: parents' exposure to general anesthesia may damage their germ cells (eggs and sperm), affecting their future children's neurodevelopment. "Animal study after animal study" shows these effects, potentially explaining higher autism rates in industrialized areas with more surgeries. The exposure window is shockingly broad—"It could be the mother when she was a fetus, it could be the mother when she was a child... pre-conception adult." The implications are staggering—every surgery under general anesthesia potentially affecting future generations.
The Neurodiversity Wars
When Escher posted a photo of her car's backseat—reduced to "foam and springs" by her son's compulsive destruction—the neurodiversity activists attacked. "How could you violate your son's privacy? How could you be so disparaging of autism?" Her response defined a movement: "F that. We're not backing down." After years of harassment and lies spread about her online, she and other mothers became more vocal about their children's realities. "It's at the point now where they don't even touch me. I can write whatever I want and they don't complain. Cancel culture period is over."
Research Roadblocks and Failed Treatments
Despite a new $50 million NIH autism research initiative, Escher remains skeptical. Researchers tell her bluntly: "I can't get a grant for that... it contravenes dogma that is so powerful." The parallel to gender dysphoria research is explicit—both fields blocked by political correctness. Meanwhile, after putting her son through intensive ABA therapy that "completely failed... probably traumatized him," she now sees an industry with "zero accountability for results" owned by private equity firms harvesting Medicaid money. "What would have actually helped my son... was probably medication and not a behavioral program. But I didn't know that. Hindsight's 20/20."
Follow Jill Escher
Website: jillescher.com
Email: jillescher@gmail.com
Substack:
X: @JillEscher
If you've ever felt like something bigger is happening but struggled to make sense of it, Beyond Gender is for you. This podcast cuts through the noise with honest, thoughtful discussions about one of the most pressing topics of our time.
🎧 Watch & Listen
New episodes every Thursday on:
🔔 Follow Our Hosts
💬 What did you think of the episode? Tell us in the comments!
Share this post